This article describes how schools and educational institutions can accommodate those students who had requested disability support for mental illness, so that studying online can be better suited for them. Kent explains that students who identifies with a disability are often invisible when there is consideration for online schooling. The Open Universities Australia (OUA) consisting of several Australian universities requests that upon registration students can include information about any disabilities they might have, and possible distribution of their medical information causes them to be reluctant to disclose their disability. Students in these institutions received a survey containing a variety of questions, including some about the accessibility of online learning and their effectiveness. Students who accepted the option of an interview about their impairments and the impact they had on the students’ learning ability, and some also accepted to participate in any further research. Kent noted that trying to accommodate for one impairment could hinder the other, so it is difficult to find a good balance of accessibility. From the interviews, it was found that many students suffered from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and OCD, and some identifying with both; the interviewees described how the stigma around these mental illnesses had made them reluctant in disclosing their disabilities. This results in them feeling invisible and helpless, as they do not feel that their disabilities are being taken into consideration even when their information is disclosed. The stigma of mental illness as being something they just have to “push through” makes it even more difficult for the students to find the motivation and will to continue their education and their work. eLearning as an online system to accommodate those with disabilities has been developed by many different institutions to give access to more people. Although the invisible feeling still remains in some, this online study still has some way to go in regard to being accessible to all students with many different disabilities, and with the help of the students will make this eLearning system more effective.
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Kent, Mike. “Disability, Mental Illness, and ELearning: Invisible Behind the Screen?” The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, Cuny Academic Commons, 17 Dec. 2015, jitp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/disability-mental-illness-and-elearning-invisible-behind-the-screen/.